Chapter 13.1

What is she thinking? She didn’t answer her sister’s question but asked, “What do you think of her cooking? Did you help her prepare the meal today, or did she cook it herself?”

“She made it herself and didn’t want our help. By the way, another neighbor in the yard said she behaves normally most of the time, and just gets sad occasionally. Occasionally, she would have episodes when she’s triggered, but she doesn’t harm anyone. She just runs around. The most serious incident was when she cried and resisted going home, wanting to find her son.”

She nodded silently. It seemed Zhou Qingshan was telling the truth. His mother was indeed ill, but she was receiving treatment. As long as she wasn’t triggered, she could live a normal life.

“Sister, what do you think about this?”

“I think it’s fine.” Luo Mei turned to look at her, her eyes sparkling. “He has a house, and his income is higher than that of a regular worker. He only has two younger sisters, and after they get married, the house will be yours. As for his mother, you can’t have it all. If it weren’t for his mother, you wouldn’t have this opportunity.”

She was in her second marriage, and although she didn’t have children, she was known for being infertile. This man was also rumored to have issues, making them quite a match.

After a few more words, they bid farewell to the matchmaker and returned to the village. In the afternoon, they went back to work as usual. During a break while weeding, she checked her points and found they had increased again.

Luo Lan: What gossip did you hear today?

System: Follow-up on the blind date.

Ha, she often found herself involved in gossip. Luo Lan shook her head and smiled. The system was sometimes amusing. Regardless, it never deducts points from her. As long as it is a melon it recognizes, it would reward her with points.

System: Have you decided whether to marry this man?

Luo Lan: What do you think?

System: I’m just a system, how would I understand human emotions?

Luo Lan: Does this have anything to do with emotions?

System: I feel like you’re more rational than me.

Luo Lan stopped bantering with it, and during a break, she sat on the field ridge, idly picking a foxtail grass^[1]Foxtail grass is a common name for several species of grass in the genus Setaria. They are often characterized by their bushy flower heads that resemble a fox’s tail, which is how they get … Continue reading. She carefully considered, evaluating the pros and cons of the marriage. She hadn’t seen his younger sister in action today and wasn’t sure if she was as fierce as rumored. However, such reputations usually came from neighbors, and for her own family, it might just mean she was capable of handling things.

The older sister was already twenty-two and would soon get married and leave. The younger one would either go to university or get a job and eventually marry too. In any case, they wouldn’t need to live under the same roof forever, so it wasn’t a big deal.

By the time she finished work, it was almost dark. She carried her hoe to the team storeroom, then quickly walked back to her small shed. It looked even smaller at night.

Without windows, there was no natural light, and the lack of a foundation meant it was drafty. It was okay for now, but she’d need to make some serious improvements for winter. She had money, so she wasn’t worried.

The man’s face flashed in her mind. She actually had a good impression of him. Torn between renovating the shed and marrying him, she decided to visit his home again the next time it rained, and she didn’t have to work.

While she was contemplating marriage, someone else had their eyes on her. The three Xu brothers, who had suffered at her hands, were getting more and more upset. Their family reputation was ruined, and they had lost money, making it even harder to find wives. The second brother’s vision was still impaired, almost blind.

Third Brother: “Are we going to live like this forever?”

Second Brother: “We lost so much money, we can’t just let it go. And I’m still not better, it’s probably that woman’s doing.”

First Brother: “But she’s really tough.”

Third Brother: “Big brother is right, we need to come up with a plan.”

The three brothers plotted secretly for several days before finally coming up with a good idea. This time, it had to be premeditated, and they couldn’t all go together to avoid being caught.

“I’ll find a way to lure her away. Big brother, you test the waters first.”

First Brother hesitated and took a step back: “No, she’s too clever. I can’t deceive her easily. I think we should go during the day when she’s at work and not at home.”

“No way,” the Third Brother glared at him. “Her shed is crowded with people in broad daylight. If someone saw us, we would be in big trouble.”

“But—”

“No buts,” the Third Brother said firmly. “I’ll find someone to lure her away. Big brother, you keep watch while I go in for the money. We can’t just let our loss go. I’ll prepare and hold my breath. As long as she gets close, I don’t believe that a grown man like me can’t subdue her.”

“Alright.”

First Brother, unwilling to go alone, agreed immediately when he was assigned a less risky role. They had lost a lot of money, and the Second Brother still couldn’t see clearly. This frustration had been building up, and since his brothers wanted to seek revenge, he decided to give it a try.

After finishing work in the evening, the two brothers went home, ate a quick meal, and then left, each making an excuse. The third brother found a woman in the village and offered her a small reward to lure Luo Lan out.

“But let me make it clear, if she senses something’s wrong and heads back, I can’t do anything about that,” the woman warned.

“Just keep her busy with something that will take some time,” he suggested.

“What excuse should I use? What should I ask her to do?”

“How can you be so stupid?” The third brother regretted choosing her but had no better option after screening the whole brigade for someone unrelated to the Luo family. “For example, ask her to help with shoe soles, spinning, weaving, or drawing patterns. Anything women usually do.”

“Alright, I’ll ask her to help me cut a pair of pants. I happen to have some fabric, and Luo Lan is good at tailoring.”

“Good, that’s a decent excuse.”